Slumping Sabres look for Eichel to heat up
There might not be anyone hotter in the NHL right now than Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau.
The 25-year-old has put up 18 points during an eight-game scoring streak. It’s what the Flames and their fans have come to expect from Gaudreau, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. The man tasked with carrying the Buffalo Sabres’ offensive load, meanwhile, has gone cold recently. Jack Eichel hasn’t scored since Dec. 27 against St. Louis. He’s pointless in five games, and while he missed a week and a half due to an upper body injury, Eichel needs to get going.
The good news for the Sabres is that Eichel has scored in each of his last three games against the Calgary crew.
Here are five things to watch for when Buffalo (23-17-6) invades the Saddledome to battle Calgary (30-13-4) on Wednesday.
1. One up, one down
The Flames are on the rise, while the Sabres are losing ground in the Atlantic Division.
The Flames are riding a fivegame winning streak, while Buffalo has dropped three in a row. The Sabres have allowed 16 goals while only scoring eight during that stretch. They put up a stinker on Monday in Edmonton, losing 7-2.
2. First look
Wednesday marks the first chance for Calgary fans to get an up-close look at Sabres rookieRasmus Dahlin. The No .1 overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Dahlin has largely lived up to the hype in his first season. The Swede has four goals and 21 assists through 46 games. If he keeps up that pace the rest of the season, he would finish with 45 points, the second most ever recorded by an NHL defenceman before his 19th birthday. The only D-man to record more by that age happens to be his coach, Phil Housley.
3. Last time out
When these two teams met on Oct. 30, the Flames displayed a little magic to take the two points. Down a goal with the clock winding down, Matthew Tkachuk deflected an Elias Lindholm shot to score with 56 seconds left on the clock. Gaudreau finished the job in overtime as the Flames closed out October on a winning note.
4. Hostile hosts
Yes, the Sabres beat the Flames when these two teams last faced off at the Saddledome, pulling out a 2-1 overtime win on Jan. 22, 2018. Prior to that, though, it had been a long, long time since the Sabres had found a way to win in Calgary. In fact, you’d have to go all the way back to Oct. 18, 2003, for the Sabres’ previous victory, a 2-0 shutout win when Buffalo had Mika Noronen between the pipes. Between those two Sabres wins, the team lost seven straight in Calgary.
5. Keep an Eye Out
James Neal and Travis Hamonic were both absent from practice on Tuesday. Hamonic was missing because of a family illness that kept him out of Sunday’s win over Arizona, while Neal was sick.